S. Korea warns Japan not to seek marine research around Dokdo

SEOUL, Jan. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has urged Japan to give up its reported plan for underwater scientific research near Dokdo, a cluster of South Korean-controlled islets in the East Sea, a government official here said Wednesday.

"We delivered a clear message yesterday through a diplomatic channel that Japan
should not push for such a research project without South Korea's consent," a
foreign ministry official told Yonhap News Agency.
Dodko is the source of decades-old row between the neighboring nations as Tokyo
lays claim to the islets.
The waters surrounding Dokdo are popular with squid fishermen while the seabed is
believed to harbor huge gas hydrate deposits.
A Japanese newspaper, the Yomiuri Shimbun, said in its front-page article Tuesday
that the Japanese government has drawn up a draft 10-year plan for aggressive
scientific research near Dokdo and in the East China Sea.
"Japan seems to be in the final stage of making the research project. We expect
Japan not to include the waters near Dokdo in its final plan in consideration of
its relations with South Korea," the official said.
Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso is scheduled to visit Seoul this weekend for a
summit with President Lee Myung-bak for discussions on fully normalizing the two
nations' often prickly ties.
In 2006, Japanese coast guard aborted a plan to dispatch a research vessel to
South Korea's exclusive economic zone in the East Sea in the face of strong
opposition from Seoul.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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